The NFL Roundup: Super Bowl LI Recap

Written by John Edward Betancourt

(Getty Images)

Football is a sport filled to the brim with clichés, ones that every football fan out there is familiar with. We’ve heard over and over again, that the game isn’t over until the clock strikes zero, or that it’s always a tale of two halves, and sometimes a team wins simply because they want it more. But while those are tired sayings to say the least, we keep hearing them because of the sheer fact that they are grounded in truth, and that was never more evident than it was last night in Super Bowl LI.
 
Because last night, the game did in many ways come down to the wire. It was indeed a tale of two halves, and the Patriots truly did want to win it more, and well…the end result of seeing so many classic tropes come together in a single night, was one of the greatest Super Bowls ever played in the history of the game. The New England Patriots earned their fifth franchise championship in the most epic way imaginable, by defying the odds, by making history and by thrilling fans of the game everywhere, in a game that let’s be honest…they should have lost.
 
Because for a good chunk of the game, the Atlanta Falcons utterly dominated the Patriots, scoring 21 unanswered in the first half and they added another touchdown early in the third quarter for good measure. But something changed shortly after that. The fight went out of Atlanta and it seems as though they believed they could simply coast from here on out and the Patriots, took full advantage of that. They made quick adjustments on defense, and turned Tom Brady loose and the rest of the second half…belonged to New England.

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It was during the second half that ​Tom Brady made history and led his team to a 25 point comeback, tying the game late in the fourth quarter to give us another historic moment on this night, by sending this Super Bowl into overtime for the first time in Super Bowl history before wrapping up this game with a stunning touchdown drive and well…I have to admit, this was one hell of a game. Whether you love Tom Brady, or outright hate him…we were witness to some incredible play from the man as he more or less willed his team to the title, and inspired them along the way and for proof of that, just take another look at that catch by Julian Edelman.
 
But what truly makes this particular win so sweet and so special for the Patriots and all of their loyal fans is that those that love the sport of football, myself included, wrote New England off this year. Few of us thought they would win any games without Tom Brady. Even fewer of us expected to see them in the Playoffs, or celebrating a victory in the Super Bowl. Yet, here we are. After months of being told they’re not good enough, or that they couldn’t accomplish such a feat, the New England Patriots are Super Bowl LI Champions.
 
Their victory caps what many could consider to be the greatest revenge tour ever seen in sports since Brady has earned all kinds of vindication by winning his fifth championship and fourth Super Bowl MVP and by pulling off this incredible victory, he more or less cements his status as the Greatest Quarterback of All Time and what better way to do that, than by playing the underdog all year long and coming from behind to win it all. Either way, congratulations to the New England Patriots and I certainly hope they enjoy every single moment of this well deserved and historic victory.

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